Earthquakes kill some 5,000 in Turkiye, Syria

ANKARA/DAMASCUS - Around 5,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands injured as of Tuesday noon after strong earthquakes jolted parts of Turkiye and neighboring Syria early Monday.

In Turkiye, the death toll has risen to 3,419, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said, adding that at least 20,534 people were injured. The devastating earthquakes destroyed 5,775 buildings, the country's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority said.

On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared seven days of national mourning for the victims.

In neighboring Syria, more than 1,500 people died, and some 3,500 were injured in Syria, according to the Syrian health ministry and local authorities.

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Turkiye's southern province of Kahramanmaras at 4:17 am local time (0117 GMT) Monday, followed by a magnitude 6.4 quake a few minutes later in the country's southern province of Gaziantep and a magnitude 7.6 earthquake at 1:24 pm local time (1024 GMT) Monday in the Kahramanmaras Province.

Many countries and global aid agencies are offering relief supplies to quake-hit regions.

"This is a moment when we must come together in solidarity, as one humanity, to save lives and alleviate the suffering of people who have already suffered so much," the World Health Organization tweeted Tuesday.

Deng Boqing, deputy head of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, said Tuesday that the country will provide the first batch of emergency aid worth 40 million yuan (about 5.89 million US dollars) to Turkiye. He added that China is coordinating efforts to provide relief supplies to Syria and speeding up the implementation of the ongoing food aid program.

Iran, Egypt, Tunisia, Russia, France and other countries worldwide have also expressed their readiness to help Turkiye and Syria.

More than 100 Russian rescuers have arrived in Turkiye to assist in the aftermath of the deadly earthquakes, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said on Tuesday.

According to the French Foreign Ministry, France is sending emergency services personnel, who will be on their way within hours, in response to the Turkish request for international assistance.